So we just did 30mins of completely random **** to warm up tonight (the class is only an hour long).

I'd love to do actual flow rolls + technique drills to warm up, this would be great; this is not what we did. Highest intensity: running zigzags, cartwheels, leap frogs, urgh.

I've just finished a 9 hour day of work, looking forward to doing BJJ (learning...anything) when half the fucking class has nothing to do with it and I risk injury over how much I can do intense mat gymnastics...

I do BJJ because I love it, I love the art/sport, I love associated drilling/rolling/warming up. I don't love random cardio that has nothing to do with the sport I love. I do cardio outside of class, and on weekends. I don't like wasting half the class I'm paying for to learn BJJ to be taken up by unrelated cardio gymnastic events which could possibly stop me (via injury) from doing/learning the thing that I love and what keeps me sane outside of work.

So we just did 30mins of completely random **** to warm up tonight (the class is only an hour long).

I'd love to do actual flow rolls + technique drills to warm up, this would be great; this is not what we did. Highest intensity: running zigzags, cartwheels, leap frogs, urgh.

I've just finished a 9 hour day of work, looking forward to doing BJJ (learning...anything) when half the fucking class has nothing to do with it and I risk injury over how much I can do intense mat gymnastics...

I do BJJ because I love it, I love the art/sport, I love associated drilling/rolling/warming up. I don't love random cardio that has nothing to do with the sport I love. I do cardio outside of class, and on weekends. I don't like wasting half the class I'm paying for to learn BJJ to be taken up by unrelated cardio gymnastic events which could possibly stop me (via injury) from doing/learning the thing that I love and what keeps me sane outside of work.

I would love more specific technique/BJJ focused warm ups, for real.

Sorry, just really annoyed about this tonight.

I do agree that the "warm-ups" should not make the person feel like they wasted their time.

A guest JJJ teacher we had one night had us do dynamic stretches then he had do a throw/sweep/whatever we had learned in the previous session and do it repeatedly until we dropped, then it would be the next guys turn. Small class coupled with the speed he had us going at meant warm up was about 15 - 20mins then straight into the technique.

When we mentioned that our usual warm up was a mile jog followed be circuits he said "I'm here to teach Ju Jutsu; if you want a fitness coach the YMCA is up the road."

I see a few higher grades in BJJ just ignoring the 'cardio' parts of the warmup to do some more relaxed stretching, but these are people who are clearly already in excellent shape and probably do a lot of conditioning on their own.

For myself and most other beginners I don't think that would be a wise choice.

I always think that there is a distinct difference between a "warm up" and "conditioning". Some instructors seem to be confused over exactly what they are trying to accomplish. If the class is one hour I prefer a quick warm up and then get right into what we're doing. If it is going to be 1 1/2 hour then fine, let's condition, but quite frankly I can (and do) work on strenth, cardio and such outside of class.

Most guys don't do cardio on the side so inserting a bit of it in class is hardly taking time off from "real" training for them.
One needs cardio to fight. :)
I myself see how out of shape I can get during Summers when we only do Open Mat and no organized warmups.
One might exaggerate of course. Our old instructor had us do 1000 situps each warmup and tons of jumping jacks making us all pretty much exhausted by the time technique and rolling started.
Furthermore, gymnastic moves of all kinds are applicable to BJJ. Cartwheel pass, different tumbling exercises etc. Body control is fundamental to the sport and most people need to learn it.